a few ?'s about my 55 gal tank

[aquavegas]

i have a 55 gal tank 1 heater 1 305 fluval filter and 1 two spin wheel filter 1 water pusher thing that keeps the water moving about 20lbs of live rock and as of now i have 3 damsels and 1 purple tipped anemone i had a 50/50 bulb but it went out so i just have my standard in it as of now
my questions are my live rock seems to not be growing any purple and pink coralline i found a product called purple up should i use this even if there are absolutely no purple and pink coralline anywhere but it does have a very dark algae growing all over it or should i just cure my rock again put a better light in and just wait
another ? i have is how do i start my reef what kind of live rock is best used to stack and build my reef i have premium Fiji rock now can i mix types of rock ? or should i just stick to the one kind
also i seem to have alge growing all over my tank at a rapid speed about 1 week after a 50% water change it starts to grow back i feel i have a good filtration system working 1 305 fluval and 1 70 gal spin wheel filter is there a special combo of media that i should put in my fluval ?

 

[justin podolan]

Hi there do you use ro water?
And also you will need a better light too. I too have a 55g and i run a pc light 280 watts.
Some one else will chime in if im wrong but you mite not get much corline with low lights.

 

[aquavegas]

i figured i needed more light but what is
ro water

 

[aquavegas]

ok i looked it up ro is reverse osmosis water, i use sink water is that bad i use a product that takes all the chlorine and stuff out should i be useing distilled or purified water

 

[aquavegas]

bump

 

[canareef]

https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=301033
Read through this article it's alot to take in at once but it is full of great info.

 

[aquavegas]

thanks this helped me out alot i still dont know if i have the right media in my fluval 305 should i be running what came with it or should i be using a special formula of media

 

[canareef]

If you test your water find out where you have a problem say phosphates and you can get a media that will help you with that. Go to the LFS and read the fluval packages it tell you what they're for.

 

[aquavegas]

i am going to the LFS tomorrow im at work now and i will have them test my water to see where i am at my test strips are wrong all the time

 

[aquavegas]

what is the best lighting for a coral reef tank with inverts and fish
a 50/50 ?

 

[canareef]

It all depends on what kinds of coral's you are looking to keep. What do you have now how many bulbs,wattage,individual reflectors??

 

[aquavegas]

i just have 1 long bulb in a hood with metal reflectors i dont know what light it is or what the watts are but when i got it i was just planning on fish only not inverts and coral so the guy at the LFS said it was just a fish light

 

[justin podolan]

Hi again sorry too leave you hang. A single 50/50 bulb will do nothing for your coral but kill them. I run a emperor 400 and a protein skimmer. Do you have a skimmer its a must have? And also get a ro unit it will fix the algae out brake.

 

[aquavegas]

i am in the proses of getting a skimmer my light hood is only for 1 bulb is there a single bulb i can use or fo i have to get a whole new light hood
i dont have coral now just planning to have it just live rock and fish
also do i have to get an ro unit can i just get the water from the store or from one of those machines at the store that you can fill up a 5 gal drum for like a few bucks ? or does it cost more money in the long run and how much is an ro unit and what is a good brand for a good price

 

[justin podolan]

My pc light has 4 bulbs in it. You will need to get a new light

 

[aquavegas]

i am going to my LFS to see what they got in my price range tomorrow is there a brand that you think would be good to use i have a 55 gal tank

 

[canareef]

The bigger the better. Buy the best light you can E b@y. I would go for HO T5 or metal halide if you buy a cheap light you will be wanting to replace it later when you want to keep more demanding corals clams ect. Get a 6-8 bulb individual reflectors of T5 or a couple 150-250watt metal halides with actinic accent. Look around at the other tanks on here if you see something you like ask them what they are running.